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SPACEX publicly announced plans to send astronauts into space by April 2019 this week and could blast them into space onboard the Crew Dragon module spacecraft. Find out more about the first manned spacecraft here.

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The empty metal husk is seen lined with all sorts of wiring and equipment crucial to the spacecraft’s survival in space.

Four of the astronauts who will one day fly the Crew Dragon were at hand to speak about the opportunity to take part in the historic launch.

The NASA astronauts were Douglas Hurley, Robert Behnken, Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover.

Mr Hurley said: “Being able to fly the first flight of a vehicle as a test pilot is a once-a-generational type of opportunity.

SpaceX Crew Dragon: SpaceX can fit up to seven astronauts at once inside the module (Image: GETTY)

SpaceX Crew Dragon: A stripped down model of the SpaceX module (Image: GETTY)

“But I would also say that we have a lot of work left to do, and we are in it for the long haul to make this vehicle as great as possible for our friends back in the astronaut office, that maybe haven’t even gotten hired yet, but they’re going to fly on this vehicle someday.

“We take that job very seriously.”

At a separate part of the of the demonstration, SpaceX presented a mock-up control panel from the cockpit simulator.

Are Technica’s Eric Berger, who had the chance to see the simulator up close, noted a big EJECT handle in the middle of the console.